Weekly Select Committee Business

There were 24 committee
meetings including one in progress in Auckland. The other
23 meetings were all in the parliamentary complex. The
increased number of meetings is partly due to the growing
number of subcommittees that are meeting in addition to
meetings of the main committee. There were three such
subcommittee meetings this week.

Justice and Electoral Petition
1999/1 of Kenneth Orr for Christians for Life and 30 084
others

Bills referred to select committeesThe
Local Elections (Single Transferable Vote Option) Bill was
referred to the Justice and Electoral Committee.

The New
Zealand Nuclear Free Zone Extension Bill was referred to the
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee.

The Gaming
and Lotteries Amendment Bill was referred to the Government
Administration Committee.

The House gave leave for two
other bills previously referred to the Justice and Electoral
Committee, the Habeas Corpus Bill and the Crimes
(Publications) Bill, to be referred to the Law and Order
Committee.

Committee notes(for further information
on an item, please contact the committee staff noted in
brackets)

Commerce (Alan Witcombe,
SC-Commerce@parliament.govt.nz) This week the commerce
committee had hearings on Vote Commerce and Vote
Communications. The Hon Paul Swain, Minister for Commerce
and Communications, gave evidence. Also this week the
committee considered both the Sale of Liquor Amendment (No
3) Bill and the Economic Development (Industry New Zealand
and the Ministry of Economic Development) Bill.

Education
and Science (Clare Sullivan,
SC-ES@parliament.govt.nz)The subcommittee received a
briefing on the inquiry into reading in New Zealand. The
main committee heard evidence on the Education (Limiting
Number of Universities) Amendment Bill and the Estimates of
Appropriation for 2000/01 Vote Education.

The committee is
not meeting next week but on Thursday 20 July it will travel
to Auckland to hear submissions on the Education (Limiting
Number of Universities) Amendment Bill and the Educational
Establishments (Exemption from Certain Rates) Bill. The
subcommittee will also travel to Auckland to receive
briefings on the inquiry into reading.

Finance and Expenditure (Graham Hill,
SC-FE@parliament.govt.nz)The committee met on 5 July to
consider the Taxation (FBT, SSCWT and Remedial Matters)
Bill. The committee will not meet during the two-week July
adjournment. It will meet next on 26 July to hear evidence
on Vote Economic Development, Vote Finance, the Fiscal
Strategy Report and the Budget Economic and Fiscal Update.
The committee will also consider further the Taxation (FBT,
SSCWT and Remedial Matters) Bill.

Government
Administration (Louise Sparrer,
SC-GA@parliament.govt.nz)The committee commenced its
examination of the 2000/01 Estimates for Vote Pacific Island
Affairs. The committee heard evidence from the Minister for
Pacific Island Affairs, Hon Mark Gosche, together with
officials from the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs. The
committee was particularly interested in the findings of the
ministerial review of the Pacific Business Development
Trust. The Minister indicated he was prepared to appear
before the committee again to discuss further the contents
of the ministerial report on the Trust.

The committee
continued its consideration of the 2000/01 Estimates for
Vote Office of the Clerk and the Fire Service Amendment
Bill. The committee will not meet while the House is
adjourned.

Health (Nick Aldous,
SC-Health@parliament.govt.nz)On Wednesday the committee
heard evidence from the Minister of Health and officials on
the Vote Health. The committee will not meet again until 26
July.

Justice and Electoral (Tracey Conlon,
SC-JE@parliament.govt.nz)At the committee’s meeting on
Wednesday, 5 July, the Minister in charge of Treaty of
Waitangi Negotiations, Margaret Wilson, appeared before the
committee to give evidence on Vote Treaty Negotiations. The
Minister answered questions on the size of the appropriation
for policy advice, the fiscal cap, a timeframe for
settlements, relativity clauses, the structure of iwi, and
land-banking.

The Minister of Justice, Phil Goff, appeared
to give evidence on Vote Justice. The examination included
the issues of sentencing, compensation for the wrongfully
convicted and restorative justice.

The committee further
considered one inquiry and two pieces of legislation: the
Inquiry into the 1999 General Election, the Legal Services
Bill and the Referenda (Postal Voting) Bill. The committee
will not meet during the first week of the
adjournment.

The subcommittee met again in Wellington this
week to continue its consideration of the inquiry into
matters relating to the visit of the President of China to
New Zealand in September 1999. The subcommittee will not be
meeting while the House is adjourned.

Law and Order
(Adrian Carpinter, SC-LO@parliament.govt.nz)The
committee met on Thursday to examine the 2000/01 Estimates
for Vote Corrections and Vote Courts. The committee heard
from the Responsible Minister for both votes, Hon Matt
Robson, and senior departmental officials.

The issues
covered in the examination of Vote Corrections included: new
initiatives contained in the Budget, prison employment
schemes, the home detention scheme, programmes designed to
close the gaps for Mori and Pacific Island people,
the recent report of the Commissioner for Children and
capital projects.

MMP Review (Louise Sparrer,
SC-MMP@parliament.govt.nz)The terms of reference for the
review of MMP are set out in a press release located at
www.clerk.parliament.govt.nz/programme/committees/pressrelease.html.

Primary
Production (Bob Bunch, SC-PP@parliament.govt.nz)The
committee met yesterday to further consider the four votes
it is examining on the Estimates of Expenditure (Votes
Agriculture and Forestry, Fisheries, Biosecurity and Lands).

It also received two briefings in its inquiry into
organic agriculture in New Zealand. Prof A Neil Macgregor,
Massey University, presented a briefing on comparing dairy
farms moving to organic farming with conventional farming
and from Prof Steve Wratten, Lincoln College, about organic
farming at the college and key constraints on organic
production in New Zealand. The committee has received
approximately 112 submissions in its inquiry, of which half
want to appear before the committee to give oral
evidence.

The committee's next meeting will be on 20 July
2000. It will consider the budget for three votes (Votes
Fisheries, Agriculture and Forestry and Biosecurity). The
Ministers of Fisheries, Forestry and Biosecurity will be
appearing to answer committee questions. Their appearances
before the committee are open to the public.

Regulations
Review (Shelley Banks, SC-RR@parliament.govt.nz)The
committee met on Wednesday, 5 July, to examine a number of
regulations and to further consider the Biosecurity
(Ruminant Protein) Regulations 1999. The committee will
next meet on Wednesday, 26 July.

Social Services (Tim
Cooper, SC-SS@parliament.govt.nz)The committee heard
evidence on the Housing Restructuring (Income-Related Rents)
Amendment Bill in Wellington on Wednesday and in Auckland on
Friday. The hearing of evidence is complete. The committee
will now begin to consider the issues raised. The bill is
due back in the House by Monday 24 July.

Transport and
Industrial Relations (Lyn Main,
SC-TI@parliament.govt.nz)The Airport Authorities
Amendment Bill (No 2) has been reported back, with the
recommendation that it be passed without amendment. The
bill amends the Airport Authorities Act 1966 to ensure that
local authorities obtain the consent of the Minister of
Transport before transferring to airport companies land the
Crown vested in the local authorities for airport purposes.

As part of its examination of the Estimates, the
committee heard evidence on Vote Labour from the Minister of
Labour and officials. The Minister was questioned on a
range of issues, including outcomes arising from policies in
the Employment Relations Bill, the department’s role in
preventing workplace injuries, and future ratification of
International Labour Organisation conventions.

The
committee will next meet after the adjournment to consider
Vote Transport, when it will hear evidence from the Minister
and officials. The examinations of the Estimates are due to
be reported back to the House by 14 August
2000.

Closing dates for submissions Committees are
receiving submissions on the following items with the
closing date shown. Twenty copies of submissions are
required.

CommerceChartered Professional Engineers of
New Zealand Bill (1 September 2000)

Education and
ScienceInquiry into student fees, loans, allowances and
the overall resourcing of tertiary education (24 July
2000)

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